THE LAYING ON OF HANDS,
for the reception of the Holy Ghost. This is a principle, to a great extent, ignored by the Christian world, yet plainly taught in the scriptures.
Peter, and his brethren of the twelve, had doubtless all been baptized, and endeavored to lead holy lives during their association with Jesus; yet we find Him, just previous to His ascension on high, telling them: "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them." (Luke xxiv. 49, 50).
We find a still further explanation of the manner of obtaining this gift and blessing, in the Acts of the Apostles, where He "commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts i. 4, 5).
Turning to the account of the ministry of Philip, in Samaria, we find that after the Samaritans had exercised FAITH sufficient to cause them to repent, they had been BAPTIZED under the hands of Philip. "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts viii. 14-17).
Paul, writing to Timothy, charged him thus: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (I. Tim. iv. 14); and again, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (II. Tim. i. 6).
We also call the attention of the reader to the account of Paul's visit to the baptized Saints of Ephesus, and his inquiry of them: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. * * * Then they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them: and they spake with tongues and prophesied" (Acts xix. 2-5).
Sufficient has doubtless been said to clearly establish the fact that the gift of the Holy Ghost was formerly obtained by the laying on of the hands of those who held the authority to do so. Nowhere do we find that the order here laid down has been supplanted or annulled. On the contrary, the apostles spoke in the strongest terms against any innovation upon the established forms that Jesus taught them.
Paul, writing to the Galatians, speaks of those who were "perverting" the gospel; doubtless teaching that the laying on of hands was not necessary, or else that it was done away with, and says, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. i. 8).
The reader has now examined the fourth step for man's advancement in the probation in which he is now living: and in the words of our Savior, "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John x. 1).